In the wake of the recent discovery of viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS) in the Wisconsin waters of Lake Michigan and from a large inland lake in Ohio, Michigan Department of Natural Resources fisheries officials would like to remind anglers to report any unusual numbers of dead or dying fish.

"We certainly don't want everyone who sees a single dead fish floating to call it in," said DNR Fish Production Manager Gary Whelan. "But if anyone sees unusually large numbers of dead or dying fish, we want to know about it."

VHS is a disease caused by a virus that has been known to exist in Europe and on the West Coast of the United States for decades. It kills fish by causing internal bleeding.

First identified in the Great Lakes in 2005, VHS likely was carried into the lake by ballast water from oceangoing ships, probably from the Canadian Maritime Provinces. VHS is known to infect a wide variety of both sport and prey species and has caused mortality among a number of species in Michigan.

Although VHS has not been found in the Michigan waters of Lake Michigan, it has been found in northern Lake Huron, the St. Clair River, Lake St. Clair and Lake Erie as well as in Budd Lake near Harrison. The DNR has stepped up surveillance to find out how widespread the disease is in Michigan.

Anglers who observe significant numbers of dead or dying fish are asked to report the information online at www.michigan.gov/dnrfishing, or by calling their local DNR office or the Fisheries Division in Lansing at (517) 373-1280.

More information on VHS also is available on the DNR Web site.